First Cars

hybrid · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:18

Rights im in a bit of a pickle now.

Im 20 - nearly 21 and i need my FIRST CAR. So what possibilties do i have?!

I dont want something which is gonna roll off the road in seconds.
I want something thats going to last me until i get a decent car.
It neeeeeeds to be cheap insurance, on my own insurance that is.

any help or examples would be great.

It might stop me from pulling the rest of my hair out in frustration!!

Scottland · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:21

Bbbbudget for car, and bbbbudget for insurance?

Any preference on the type of car you like?

hybrid · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:24

well, @ first i'd quite liked the 206's

now its the new style fiestas.

Just wondering what other people are driving for their first cars.

If i was going to get a near new car(well 2003+) then i'd want it to last about 4 years. So it would need to be something i'm not going to get bored of.

Ukadder · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:28

I would spend >£1000 for a first car, you'll probibly have minor scrap or two in it anyway so no huge loss then.

Something like an Escourt is good imho, decent size and cheap to pick up/run/repair.

Confused · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:38

As it's a first car, you're statistically more likely to crash it, so I wouldn't go for anything too expensive.

I would go for something in a larger class than the 206 etc you've been looking it, as you'll get more for your money.

Something like a Peugeot 406, Citroen Xantia, Ford Mondeo etc will all be reasonably cheap to buy, will come stacked with features, and won't cost that much more to insure than a typical smaller "young person/first car".

Something like a Mk2 Mondeo Ghia X 2.0 will give you every toy under the sun (electric everything, cruise, air-con, heated seats, trip computer etc), fantasticly smooth cruising for eating up motorway miles, excellent comfort when sitting in a traffic jam, and has a reasonable amount of power should you need it, but not too much to get you into too much trouble

Best of all? The cost. All of that for about £1500 for a 98/99 model!

Compare that to what you can get for £1500 in a lower class of car (even for the same age), and you'll be VERY surprised!

</[TW]Fox>

hybrid · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:44

But im sure the insurance will be pretty high on one of those though?!

Confused · 13 Apr 2006 at 10:54

Not that much higher probably.

If you think of what a typical "young person's car" or "first car" is, and how many young people drive them, and therefore are insured, and crashing them, it's all down to how much risk you as a person poses to the insurance company in a specific car.

If you go for a car that isn't typically driven/crashed by people of your age, then the cost doesn't increase that much.

If you're spending less on the car, you'll have a little extra to spend on insurance

Only way to find out is to do a quote on it, and see what you get

Mystique · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:03

Remember if you get a car <1.4 it qualifies for lower tax costs.

I had a Mk3 Astra as my first car. Wouldn't recommend it though, generally wasn't a very good car. I bought a 1.6 Toyota Carina E shortly after. I loved that car... pitty some drunk SOB wrote it off

. It convinced me enough to stick to Jap cars though, as it'd done 120,000 miles and nothing had gone wrong except a hole in the rad at around 70,000 miles.

How about a 1.3 Corolla or 1.3 Starlet? ^^

</toyotapropaganda>

Scottland · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:05

Mystique said:
Remember if you get a car <1.4 it qualifies for lower tax costs.

Not if he's looking for post (March?) 2001 cars as they'll be taxed against emissions rather than engine size, and even so on older cars the lower band is <1549cc engine size I think.

Bernard · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:05

Mystique said:
Remember if you get a car <1.4 it qualifies for lower tax costs.

It's 1549 cc iirc, mines a 1.5 and I pay the lower rate.

[TW]Fox · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:07

Mystique said:
Remember if you get a car <1.4 it qualifies for lower tax costs.

This is what, 60 quid a year? It's so low its not even worth thinking about the saving.

Mystique · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:08

Will buy you a few pints :/

[TW]Fox · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:09

Mystique said:
Will buy you a few pints :/

So will spending £60 less on the car instead if you are THAT bothered by it, its certainly no reason to suffer with a gutless shoebox.

Mystique · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:15

I PERSONALLY wouldn't buy a car just because it qualifies for lower tax costs. I'd thought I'd throw it in though as some advice.

Oh, and the 1.3 Corolla, for instance has 88bhp. Not bad for a 1.3, and in a light car, it'd be fairly nippy around town. My Astra was a 1.4 and produced 60bhp. Now THAT was gutless.

[TW]Fox · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:16

Nippy is a word used by people with slow cars to make themselves feel better. A 1.3 Corolla is not nippy. It is gutless. It is a Focus class car, and needs a proper engine. Not a sewing machine.

Luke15 · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:22

pug 306 d turbo

Mystique · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:24

Yeah, I could recommend him to go buy a 1.8VVT-i but that'd be silly. I was simply giving him advice as I'm in a similair situation (age wise).

Troll more.

Confused · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:29

Fox is 21 iirc. He drives a 2.0 Mondeo

I'm 21. I drive a Prelude 2.2 VTEC

Both of us have had large engined cars at a young age.

Neither of us are trolling, we're simply stating opinions, that larger engined cars aren't going to be that bad, and if you worry that much about a £60 difference in road tax and a small cost of insurance, then you'll have bigger things to worry about!

Nozzer · 13 Apr 2006 at 11:45

Find a car you like and factor in the costs of VED, insurance, fuel etc at the start. It doesn't really make sense to me, to buy a car you aren't too keen on, because it'll save you a few quid.

Add me to the '21 and not driving a shoebox' brigade.

Ukadder · 13 Apr 2006 at 12:01

At 21 I had a 2.0Ltr Calibra, insurance was >£500 a year TPFT. Can't stand small cars tbh.